Log pusher and the like



.' l, 1929. L. o. BARTLETT LOG PUSHER AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27, 192e il @il few/27)?? Oct, 1, 1929.

L. O. BARTLETT LOG PUSHER AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 27. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 iff/2% oCtl929 L. o. BARTLETT Los PUSHER AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 27. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet Patented Oct. l, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEON O. BARTLETT, 0F BERLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO BROWN COMPANY, OF BERLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A GORPOBATION OF MAINE LOG PUSHER AND THE LIKE Application filed February 27, 1928. Serial No. 257,278.

This invention relates to apparatus for effecting a mechanical sweeping motion by whichthe sweeping elements are reciprocated in one direction in a lowered position, and in the reverse direction in a raised position. A practical application of the invention is found in feeding logs through still water toward the chain conveyors by which the logs are lifted from the water and taken to a mill or elsewhere. To facilitate the handling and removal of logs which have been conveyed by the current of a stream, a dam is often thrown across the stream at the point where the logs are to be taken up, a pond thus being formed with little or no current therein, whereon logs may be gathered. Heretofore it has been necessary, when logs in quantity are removed from the pond, to employ a considerable number of men to push the logs through the sluggish water to the chain conveyors. By this, invention, the logs may be fed toward the conveyors with a great saving of time and wages by providing a mechanical sweep constructed to dip a number of arms into the water to engage logs floating therein and push them along. On the return motion of the sweep, the arms are raised from the water.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description, and to the drawings, of which,-

Figures 1 and 1a represent a side elevation of apparatus embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the carriage frame showing a reversing switch mounted thereon.

Figure 5 illustrates the reversal of the switch at the opposite end of the travel of the carriage.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 10 represents a suitable track on which a carriage 11 may run. The track 1() may be supported in any desired manner over the surface of a pond or stream wherein logs may be iioated. The supports for the track l0 may be iioats, cribs, or piling, according to local conditions. Supported by the car and extending laterally therefrom is a non-rotatable bar 12 from which one or more arms 13 extend downwardly. The shaft 12 is fixed to one or more slides 14, two such slides being illustrated on. the drawings. Mechanism is provided for raising and lowering the slides 14 together with the bar 12 and the arms 13, the latter in their lowered position being adapted to eX- tend down below the surface of the water so that when the carriage is moved while the arms are thus in their lowered position, they will engage logs oating in the water in their path and will push them along parallel to the direction of the track on which the carriage travels. Then the slides 14 are in their elevated position, the arms 13 are adapted to be clear of the water. According to the invention, mechanism is provided for automatically causing the carriage 11 to travel back and forth on the track 10 between predetermined limits. Mechanism is also provided for automatically lowering the slides 14 and the arms 13 at one end of the travel of the carriage 11 and maintaining the slides lowered during the motion of the carriage to the other end of its travel, whereupon the arms 13 are elevated automatically clear of the water and held in elevated position during the return travel of the carriage. This results in a sweeping motion of the arms 13 whereby they are operated when moving in one direction and are inoperative when moving in the return direction.

The slides 14 are adapted to move vertically in a pair of upright channels 15, suitable counterweiglits 16 being connected to the slides 14 as by flexible cables 17 passing over sheaves 18 which are supported above the upper ends of the channel 15. The slides 14 are each formed with a recess 19 on their forward faces, this recess forming a'shoulder 2O adapted to engage a suitable latch 21 pivotally mounted on a bracket 22 secured to the channels 15. Vhen the slides are raised to such a height that the shoulder 2O is above the end of the latch 21, the latter is adapted to swing by gravity into the recess 19 so that when the slide is thereupon lowered, the shoulder 2O rests upon the latch 21 and the slides 14. The bar 12 and the arms 13 are supported by the latch in elevated position with the arms 13 clear of the water. Assuming that the carriage as shown in Figure 1 is moving toward the right with the arms 13 in lowered position as shown, Figure 1a illustrates apparatus by which the arms 13 may be raised to and held in their elevated position when the carriage reaches its limit of travel toward the right. Such apparatus may comprise a pair of inclined cams 23 on which suitable rollers or cam followers 24 are adapted to ride when the carriage approaches its limit of travel toward the right.l The rollers 24 are preferably mounted respec tively on the opposite end portions of the bar 12 as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Thus as the carriage moves further toward the right, the rollers 24 mounting the inclined surfaces .3 raise the slides 14 and arms 13 to an elevated position such that thel shoulder 20 is well above the end of the latch 21 as shown in Figure 1u. The cam 23 is arranged to end before the carriage reaches the limit of its travel so that the slide is thus permit ted to descend until caught and held by the engagement of the latch 21 under the shoulder 20. As the carriage now moves in re- .verse direction toward the left, the rollers 24 .are below the uppermost portions of the cams 23. To avoid interference between the rollers 24 and the cam surfaces 23 on the return travel, the latter may be provided with a hinged portion 25 as shown in Figure 1"L which swings upwardly to permit the rollers 24 to pass. Thus the slides and arms are maintained in their elevated position during the return travel of the carriage.

As thecarriage approaches the limit of its travel toward the left, as in Figure 1, the Vslides encounter mechanism for releasing the latches 21 from the shoulders 20. This mechanism may comprise inclined cam members 26 positioned in the paths of the rollers 24, by which the slides are elevated so that the shoulders 20. are well above the ends of the latches 21. As shown in Figure 3., each latch 21 may be provided with an outwardly eX- tending tripping member 27 which is aryanged to engage an inclined cam member 28 so. as to swing the latch 21 upwardly. As shown in Figure 1, the cam 23 extends further to the left than does the cam- 26 so that the slides 14 are thus allowed to drop before the latches 21 are released. Thus the arms 13 `are permitted to descend to their operative 11 may be driven by any suitable means such as an electric motor 30 connected by suitable reducing gearing 31 to the car wheels. The current for the motor 30 may be supplied by a cable on a reel (not shown) carried by the car 11, or by a trolley wire or third rail or any other means well known in the art. 1n order to make the apparatus completely automatic in its action, a reversing switch 32 may be provided. As shown in Figure 4, this switch may comprise a pivotally mounted contact arm 33 adapted to swing alternately into contact with two .points 34. A pair of blocks 35 may be mounted on the road bed at the limits of travel of the carriage 11,-these blocks being located in the path of the arm so that when the carriage reaches the end of its travel the arm 33'is engaged by one of Fil the blocks 35 and is swung to the opposite point 34, this reversing the motor 30 and causing the ear to travel in the opposite direction.

Having thus described' certain embodiments of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as delined by the appended claims.

I claim r- 1. Mechanism of the class described, comerally from said carriage and supportable by said frame in elevated or lowered position, means fined at one end ofthe travel of the carriage for raising said member to its elevated position, means at the opposite end of the travel of said carriage for releasing said i member and permitting it to descend to its lowered position, and' means for causing said carriage to travel back and forth.

3. Mechanism of the class described, comp-rising a track, a carriage adapted to travel on said track, an upright .frame mounted on said carriage, a pair of slides supported by said frame and movable up` and down therein,

a bar secured to said slides and extending late-rally from the carriage, a plurality `of downwardly extending arms fixed to4 said bar to move up and down with said slides, latch mechanism for retaining said slides, bar and arms in elevated position, means at. one end of the travel of said carriage for raising the f i slides, means at the other end of the travel of said carriage for releasing said latch mechanism and permitting said slides to descend to lowered position, and means for causing the carriage to travel.

4. Mechanism of the Class described, comprising a track, a carriage adapted to travel on said track, a frame mounted on said carriage, a slide having a recess on its face movable up and down in said frame, a bar extending laterally from said carriage and supported by said slide, arms extending downwardly from said bar and fixed thereto, a latch movable to engage in said recess to maintain said slide in elevated position, means for raising said slide and engaging said catch including an inclined cam lixed at one end of the travel of said carriage and a cam follower mounted on said slide, said cam being arranged to raise the slide momentarily above its normal elevated position to permit the latch to enter the recess before the carriage reaches its limit of travel, said cam having a displaceable portion to permit the cam follower to return at its normal elevation with the carriage, and means at the other end of the travel of the carriage for releasing said latch and for holding said latch released while the slide descends to its lowered position.

In testimony whereof I have aiixed my signature.

LEON O. BARTLETT. 

